From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,325c54deb91283fd X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-04-29 11:33:58 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!lnsnews.lns.cornell.edu!newsstand.cit.cornell.edu!news.stealth.net news.stealth.net!news.stealth.net!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.fjserv.net!diablo.theplanet.net!news.indigo.ie!feeder.news.heanet.ie!not-for-mail Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada From: Colin_Paul_Gloster@ACM.org (Colin Paul Gloster) Subject: Re: Ada in Iraq References: Reply-To: Colin_Paul_Gloster@ACM.org Message-ID: User-Agent: slrn/0.9.7.0 (SunOS) Organization: Dublin City University (DCU) Cache-Post-Path: ns2-ext.dcu.ie!unknown@camac.dcu.ie X-Cache: nntpcache 2.3.3 (see http://www.nntpcache.org/) Date: 29 Apr 2003 18:33:56 GMT NNTP-Posting-Date: 29 Apr 2003 18:33:56 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.206.1.1 X-Trace: 1051641236 reader.news.heanet.ie 173 [::ffff:136.206.1.1]:35777 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:36742 Date: 2003-04-29T18:33:56+00:00 List-Id: Russ wrote: "I work for a US government lab that does extensive work in air traffic management (ATM). We will have major input into the future of ATM in the US. As some of you may recall, I have a problem with some of Ada's syntax, but I am nevertheless convinced that Ada is fundamentally solid and is the right choice for the kind of software we develop and will develop in the future. Unfortunately, however, none of my colleagues is even willing to consider using Ada. It's considered a "non-starter." C, C++, and Java are the only languages considered. Ada wasn't even on the radar screen until I brought it up. Also, I get the impression that professors who study safety-critical systems are mostly using Java. "Real-time Java" is gaining major momentum, and I fear that it could crush Ada. I have the privledge of working with top experts in the world on "revolutionary" new ATM system architectures. I ocassionally try to sell them on Ada, but my efforts are starting to become a sort of joke. Some of them think I am "obsessed" with Ada, and none of them seems to think the choice of language is of fundamental importance anyway. It's an "implementation detail" as far as most of the managers are concerned." and "Let me follow up on my earlier post. Here is an excerpt from an email I recently received from a very competent and productive software engineer who works down the hall from me and who has great influence over our choice of language: Your continued obsession with Ada for purely academic reasons is a seemingly naive approach to real software development. I have not seen any legitimate justification for switching to Ada. Which feature of Ada critical to our **** development cannot be achieved with C/C++/Java? There are several reasons why Ada is not practical. [..]" Of those people who work as subcontractors to the European Space Agency, two of the most ardent supporters of Java and detractors of Ada (namely Alessandro Pasetti -- who unlike most people whose first choice is not Ada, he does actually understand Ada 83 and Ada 95 and profiles very well and has actually given me valuable support in an Ada project -- of P & P Software ( HTTP://WWW.PnP-Software.com/ ) and Erik Aad Visser of Computer Hardware Een Embedded Software Systems ( HTTP://WWW.CHESS.NL/chess_alg.php?language=english )) said at the DAta Systems In Aerospace ( HTTP://WWW.Eurospace.org/dasia.html ) conference last year that they expect it would be nearly as late at 2007 before there would be a Java implementation of high enough reliability to use in space (in orbit and unmanned). As far as the language chosen not being a fundamental detail and only being an implementation issue is concerned, there are actually flexibility benefits or penalties in choosing between different programming languages. Regards, Colin Paul Gloster